Life & Work with Eric Santos

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Santos.

Hi Eric, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m 31 years old and I’m a professional body piercer at Inflictions Body Art in Covina, CA. as well as an amateur Muay Thai fighter out of Aragon Training Academy in Pasadena, CA. I grew up from very humble beginnings, originally from Eagle Rock in the Northeast part of LA but moved around quite a bit due to family situations. After moving around for most of my youth between my mom and dad’s houses, I ultimately ended up in Azusa with my father and younger brother.

After graduating High School, I didn’t have much direction with my life and I found myself in and out of trouble and going between jobs. I started working at inflictions body art in 2010 as a shop helper. I worked my way up and was offered an apprenticeship for Body piercings. As I worked up my professional career, I felt like my physical and mental health was suffering and I wanted to fix that. I started training Muay Thai in 2017 with the intention of getting in shape and fell in love with it so much I actually started to compete. In the summer of 2017, I found myself in trouble for one of the last times but also the most serious times. And with my son on the way in January 2018, it definitely was a huge turning point in my life as far as maturing as an adult and really putting things into perspective for our future! I’m 31 now I’ve been professionally body piercing for nine years, my son is four and I feel like the sky is the limit.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not a smooth road. I grew up in a broken home. I moved more times than I can remember. Both of my parents were addicts, as well as my older siblings. I got myself into a lot of trouble from high school all the way up until the last time which was a few years ago now. I think everyone has their own personal struggles and obstacles so I’ve always tried to take my own experiences and make the best out of them.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’ve been a professional body piercer for the last nine years. I think I’m most proud of the fact that I stuck with it and created a life for myself that I couldn’t even imagine. I think what sets me apart from anyone else is me. I think that’s an obvious answer but I really feel like I take pride in my work from the experience all the way up to the actual piercing. It’s something I feel I’m great at.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
It’s hard to say. I feel like Body Art has grown so popular in the last few years so really it’s exciting to see where it will go.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Sainteric_